The Truth About Vintage Amps with Skip Simmons
Twice a month, guitar amp guru Skip Simmons fields your questions on vintage tube amp repair, restoration and collecting. Often hilarious and always insightful, it's like no other guitar podcast out there.
Episodes
It's the 172nd episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps Podcast, the call-in show where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions about tube amplification...and life.
Thank you to our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars; and Amplified Parts.
Some of the topics discussed this week:
1:53 What's on Skip's Bench: A Silverface Vibro-Champ with all-new parts; the importance of capacitors, even for tremolo...
It's the 169th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps, the call-in show where amp tech Skip Simmons fields all of your tube amp and life questions. This week, returning guest Steve Soest joins us for a chat about the vintage days of vintage guitar buying; playing alongside Chuck Berry and Dick Dale; Leo Fender's dining habits; and more.
Thank you to our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars;...
It's the long-awaited episode 168 of the Truth About Vintage Amps, the call-in show where amp tech Skip Simmons fields all of your tube amp and life questions. This week, we kick things off by interviewing one of Skip's clients, Sebastian from Vintage Inspired Pickups! Also: possessed Ampegs, shipping forecasts, and Fender repairs and so much more.
Thank our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars; ...
It's the 167th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps, the call-in show where amp tech Skip Simmons fields all of your tube amp and life questions.
Thank our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars; and Amplified Parts / Mod Electronics.
Some of the topics discussed this week:
:00 Skip's refrigerator dies (but lives!), taking the train to the Chicago Fretboard Summit, ele...
Before talking amps, we talk life! Longtime friend of the show John Vanderslice (Tiny Telephone) joins us to talk about moving to the Netherlands, the life of an expat, the equipment that he moved to Europe (and didn't), staying curious with your gear, and so much more.
Around 50 minutes in, we get the answer to last episode's Baffler, field various questions and do the usual TAVA amp troub...
Episode 165 of the Truth About Vintage Amps Podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons tackles all of your questions about guitar tube amps!
Thank our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars; and Amplified Parts / Mod Electronics.
Some of the topics discussed this week:
00 Jason and Nigel
6:26 Our sponsors!
10:42 A letter, two beers, some washers, and a crossroads: Follow Joe here and on Instagram
17:10 1967 Fend...
Episode 164 of the Truth About Vintage Amps Podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons tackles all of your questions about guitar tube amps!
Thank our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars; and Amplified Parts / Mod Electronics.
Some of the topics discussed this week:
Acclaimed guitarist Roy Rogers joins us this week to talk about his unique gear choices, working with John Lee Hooker, vintage amps and so much more!
Thank our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars; and Amplified Parts / Mod Electronics.
Some of the topics discussed this week:
:56 Eric Barbour's the Tube Dumpster in Vacuum Tube Valley: 6K6, 6F6, 6Y6 tubes
2:39 A flea market Tweed Bassman
8...
Episode 162 of the Truth About Vintage Amps Podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons tackles all of your questions about guitar tube amps! This week, we go deep on Canadian amps, tremolo tweaks, and tech tips. Plus: Rumors of a possible TAVA meetup at Skip's and a poetry slam!
Thank our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars; and Amplified Parts / Mod Electronics. Use the discount code TAVA10MOD for a one-time, 10% discount...
Episode 161 of the Truth About Vintage Amps Podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons tackles all of your questions about guitar tube amps.
Thank our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars; and Amplified Parts / Mod Electronics. Use the discount code TAVA10MOD for a one-time, 10% discount on Mod Electronics orders at https://www.modelectronics.com. Usable on speakers, amp kits, pedal kits, reverb tanks, etc. Offer...
Episode 160 of the Truth About Vintage Amps Podcast, where amp tech Skip Simmons fields all of your questions about tube amps.
Thank our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars and Amplified Parts.
Some of the topics discussed this week:
1:09 Fishing and weather report, Tule fog
4:43 Skip's amp backlog
5:19 A West guitar amp with a Dynaco 454216 transformer, a paper plate breakfast hack
...
Episode 159 of the Truth About Vintage Amps: Beans, two-prong ASMR, peeling diodes (and faceplates) and more!
Thank our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars and Amplified Parts. And honarary mention to Rancho Gordo beans.
Some of the topics discussed this week:
1:32 Rancho Gordo beans in the WSJ, corn sticks
8:13 What's on Skip's bench: All the early Fender Princetons; a baffler!
11:20 Our ...
Episode 158: Chris Benson of Benson amps and Bryan Sours of Soursound transformers make their long-awaited returns to the Truth About Vintage Amps. Why? They want to tell us all about the logging truck of an amp they are currently building, a 700-watt(!) all-tube beast dubbed Babylon!
The Babylon will feature 14 KT88 tubes, 16 total speakers, three knobs, and two power cords. It's literally the most powerful tube amp they ...
It's the 157th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps, the call-in show where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all things tube amps.
Thank our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars and Amplified Parts
Some of the topics discussed this week:
:42 Atmospheric rivers
3:52 Skip's appearance at the Bay Area Guitar Show (Jan 10-11, link)
It's the 156th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps, the call-in show where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all things tube amps. This week: Special guest Jack Weston joins us with a great Allman Brothers story.
Thank our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars and Amplified Parts
Some of the topics discussed this week:
:43 What's on Skip's Bench: a Fender Princeton with reversed input jack...
It's the 155th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps, the call-in show where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all things tube amps. This week: Barn finds, lost dogs, an extra-grounded Jason (amp pun intended) and more!
Some of the topics discussed this week:
1:05 Skip gets the new Fretboard Journal (link); do banjos belong in the Fretboard Journal?
It's the 154th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps, the call-in show where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all things tube amps.
Some of the topics discussed this week:
:42 Skip is back on the Ferguson TO-35 tractor; Roy Clark & Joe Pass
7:04 What's on Skip's bench: A Marshall Plexi Super Bass, Marshall bright caps, the Pet Shop Boys
11:43 Our sponsors Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars and...
It's the 153rd episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps and Skip is having a happy day fielding your amp questions. From cleaning tweed to Magnatone varistors and all points in between, it's 90 minutes of tube amp knowledge, laughs, and some serious California trivia.
Some of the topics discussed this week:
1:27: The 2025 Fretboard Summit; the importance of repair tags
6:55: Thanks for the mangos, John! And a food preser...
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